Best TV Display Types (2025)

There are a variety of TV types available, each offering different trade-offs. Some TVs are less expensive but deliver inferior picture quality, while others provide stunning visuals at a premium price.

In this article, I explain the pros and cons of the major TV types so you can choose the best option for your needs. I also break down the various factors to consider when selecting your new TV.

TV Display Types

	LED	QLED	OLED	Mini-LED	MicroLED
Viewing Angle	Good	Good	Excellent	Good	Excellent
Black Levels	Limited	Limited	Excellent	Very Good	Excellent
Color Accuracy	Good	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Burn-in Risk	No	No	Yes	No	Minimal
Peak Brightness	Good	Excellent	Moderate	Excellent	Excellent
Lifespan	60K+ Hours	60K+ Hours	100K+ Hours	60K+ Hours	100K+ Hours
Contrast Ratio	3K-6K:1	4K-8K:1	Infinite	10K-100K:1	Infinite
Response Time	Good	Good	Excellent	Very Good	Excellent
Backlight Bleed	Yes	Yes	No	Minimal	No
Price Range	$	$$	$$$	$$$$	$$$$$

The location of your TV will help determine which black levels, brightness, and viewing angles best meet your needs.

Poor black levels result in a lack of true blacks in outer space scenes, dark indoor shots, and end credits. Instead, blacks appear more gray than black.

The deep blacks provided by good black levels are less noticeable when watching TV in daylight or brightly lit rooms. Good black levels become much more apparent in dimly lit environments like a dark family room, bedroom, or home theater.

Black levels help determine whether a TV can handle the contrast between bright and dark parts of a scene. Poor contrast results in a washed-out look between these two extremes.

OLED displays have perfect black levels. The extreme blacks are a benefit of OLED displays not having an LCD backlight like QLED and LED TVs. QLED and LED TVs display grayish blacks instead of pitch black.

Black Levels

LED	Limited
QLED	Limited
OLED	Excellent
Mini-LED	Very Good
MicroLED	Excellent

OLED Contrast Comparison Brandon Jones / TechReviewer

If you plan to watch TV in daylight or a brightly lit room, choose a TV that can handle higher brightness levels. TV brightness matters most in bright lighting conditions since it must compete with other light sources in the room. For example, in a well-lit living room or office, you'll want a TV with excellent brightness levels.

QLED and MicroLED TVs have the best brightness levels. Most QLED TVs produce 1,000 to 2,000 nits of brightness and can reach up to 4,000 nits. In comparison, most other TVs rarely reach 1,000 nits of brightness.

If you're unfamiliar with nits, it's a measurement of the amount of light a TV produces within a given area. The higher the nit count, the brighter your TV can display.

Peak Brightness

LED	Good
QLED	Excellent
OLED	Moderate
Mini-LED	Excellent
MicroLED	Excellent

The downside of some TVs having high peak brightness is that it can sometimes lead to light bleed. Light bleed, or backlight bleed, is more noticeable during nighttime viewing or in rooms with low ambient light. If you're planning to place your TV in a dark room, you'll want a TV with minimal light bleed.

You can learn more about backlight bleed in LED TVs.

Backlight Bleed

LED	Yes
QLED	Yes
OLED	No
Mini-LED	Minimal
MicroLED	No

Are you planning to view your new TV with family or friends in a living room or home theater? If so, you'll want to buy a TV with wide viewing angles. Better viewing angles allow you to see optimal brightness, colors, and contrast even when viewing the TV from the side. If you're viewing your TV head-on, wider viewing angles won't matter as much.

OLED TVs have the best viewing angles, averaging around 70 degrees from the center (directly in front of the screen). You will not notice any difference in colors or brightness at most viewing angles with an OLED TV.

LCDs like QLED TVs have an average viewing angle of around 20-40 degrees from the center. You'll notice more washed-out blacks and colors along with brightness loss starting at lesser angles (10-20 degrees), increasing as you move farther from the center.

The narrow viewing angle is due to the backlight projecting through the LCD panel. Like viewing a bedroom light from outside a house, the light is most visible from certain angles.

If you want more flexibility in viewing position, you'll probably want an OLED TV, which doesn't use a backlight.

Viewing Angle

LED	Good
QLED	Good
OLED	Excellent
Mini-LED	Good
MicroLED	Excellent

The higher the resolution, the crisper the picture will be, provided the content you're displaying matches that resolution. Many 4K TVs have an upscaling feature that can enhance lower-resolution content.

4K resolution is currently the most popular standard. While 8K offers the best quality, most content doesn't support such high resolution, making it unnecessary at this time since 4K is more than sufficient.

Most TVs feature 4K resolution, with only a select few models offering different options.

You can learn more about TV resolution.

TV Resolutions

	Resolution
8K UHD (Ultra HD)	7680 x 4320
4K UHD (Ultra HD)	3840 x 2160
1440p / QHD (Quad HD)	2560 x 1440
1080p / FHD (Full HD)	1920 x 1080
720p / HD (High Definition)	1280 x 720

TV Resolution Comparison Brandon Jones / TechReviewer

Response time and refresh rate determine how well a TV handles motion. The lower the response time and the higher the refresh rate, the better. If you primarily watch movies and TV shows, you probably won't need the absolute best specifications. However, better motion handling is essential if you're gaming on the latest consoles or frequently watching sports.

Response time is the duration it takes a display to change from one color to another. This timing is typically measured by transitioning between white and black. The timing is measured in milliseconds, with lower values being better.

OLED TVs have a response time of around 0.2 ms for 80% of color transitions and 2-3 ms for the remaining colors. Ideally, displays should have a response time of 6 ms or less, and OLED TVs exceed this standard, making them among the best display types for response time.

For comparison, Samsung QLED TVs have a response time of around 3-6 ms for 80% of color transitions and 9-17 ms for the remaining colors.

Refresh rate is the number of times the display redraws the screen per second. Refresh rate is measured in hertz (Hz), which is defined as one cycle per second. For example, 60 Hz would refresh the screen 60 times per second. A good refresh rate is anywhere from 144 Hz to 240 Hz and above.

The refresh rate of QLED and OLED displays is typically 120 Hz but can reach higher in newer models, which is fast enough for most use cases, including video games and sports.

Response Time

LED	Good
QLED	Good
OLED	Excellent
Mini-LED	Very Good
MicroLED	Excellent

Excellent color accuracy determines whether you'll get the best and most naturally vivid images on your screen. Color accuracy is one of the most important aspects to consider in a TV.

OLED and QLED displays are known for excellent color accuracy and vibrance, even at wider viewing angles.

OLED TVs have an average of 80-85% color volume and 95-99% color gamut.

Samsung QLED TVs have an average of 73-90% color volume and 84-94% color gamut.

Standard LED TVs have widely varying color volume and color gamut but are moderately lower on average compared to QLED and OLED displays.

TVs are sometimes advertised as having 100% color volume despite not reaching those levels. Despite this discrepancy, you won't notice a difference with OLED TVs or higher-end QLED TVs since both can have excellent color accuracy when properly calibrated and of higher quality.

Color Accuracy

LED	Good
QLED	Excellent
OLED	Excellent
Mini-LED	Excellent
MicroLED	Excellent

High-dynamic-range (HDR) is an increasingly popular feature that can enhance your picture by expanding the contrast ratio and color range to create a more realistic, natural image. To enjoy this feature, however, the content you watch must specifically support HDR.

Viewing HDR content results in brighter highlights, deeper shadows, more accurate and natural colors, and a sharper image.

OLED displays have high color volume and gamut along with a near-perfect contrast ratio, both of which are ideal for HDR content. Despite HDR typically requiring higher brightness levels, OLEDs can produce stunning HDR scenes because of their exceptional contrast ratio. Due to lower brightness levels, it's best to view HDR content in darker environments during the evening.

Samsung QLED displays have high color volume, good contrast ratio, and 1,000+ nits of brightness, all of which are well-suited for HDR. OLED TVs still outperform them due to their true black levels.

Standard LED TVs are typically not recommended for viewing HDR content but can still display it, just not as impressively as other TV types.

Contrast Ratio

LED	3K-6K:1
QLED	4K-8K:1
OLED	Infinite
Mini-LED	10K-100K:1
MicroLED	Infinite

Most modern TV types can last ten years or more with heavy use. Better brands and models typically have longer lifespans due to components made from superior materials. Just because a TV is less expensive with similar specifications doesn't mean it's equivalent to higher-end models. You generally pay for better quality and longevity.

The main risk to a TV's lifespan is typically the components within the display. Capacitors, power supply boards, or other parts may fail before the display panel does, but most people will see their TVs last up to the expected lifespan.

Samsung QLED TVs are expected to last an average of 8 to 10 years with heavy use of between 70,000 and 100,000 hours. Most people don't use their TV continuously every day, so you can expect it to last even longer. Samsung's QLED TVs will likely last 10 years or more for most users.

In comparison, OLED TVs typically last around 6 to 8 years of heavy use but may experience reduced peak brightness and faded colors over time. With QLED, you're less likely to encounter these issues. Despite this, most people can still use their OLED TV for upwards of 10 years.

Standard LED TVs last an average of 5 to 7 years.

Average Lifespan

	Lifespan
LED	60K+ Hours
QLED	60K+ Hours
OLED	100K+ Hours
Mini-LED	60K+ Hours
MicroLED	100K+ Hours

• This is an exceptional TV for any use, whether for movies, games, sports, or as a PC monitor.
• Fast refresh rates reduce motion blur and make animations smoother.
• This TV has wide viewing angles, perfect for many people watching TV together (like most OLED TVs).
• It has an extreme contrast ratio capable of producing pitch-black scenes without suffering from blooming.
• This TV offers improved brightness compared to previous generations, making it suitable for most room lighting conditions.
• This has the fastest response time for smooth fast-moving content, great for games or sports.
• The LG C5 OLED TV also supports very low input lag and variable refresh rate, both of which are also needed for gaming.
• It's superb for HDR content due to its extreme contrast ratio and wide color gamut.
• Check the latest price of the LG C5 OLED TV on Amazon

• This TV has superb picture quality with an extreme contrast ratio, perfect for your home theater room.
• The Sony BRAVIA 8 II TV has excellent color out of the box, so there's no need for color calibration.
• This TV offers improved brightness performance, making it suitable for various room lighting conditions.
• This TV has Google TV built-in, allowing you to watch from most of your streaming services quickly and smoothly.
• The Sony BRAVIA 8 II TV has very low input lag and quick response time, both of which are excellent for sports and gaming.
• Check the latest price of the Sony BRAVIA 8 II TV on Amazon

• This is an exceptional TV for any use, whether for movies, games, sports or as a PC monitor.
• It's the "Neo" QLED variant, which has an excellent contrast ratio and deep blacks.
• This will also work great in a bright room.
• The Samsung QN90B Neo QLED also supports low input lag, variable refresh rate, and fast response time, all of which are needed for gaming.
• Check the latest price of the Samsung QN90B Neo QLED on Amazon

• This is an excellent Neo QLED TV variant for use in bright rooms while having fantastic response time, low input lag, and vivid natural colors.
• The Samsung QN85B QLED has wide viewing angles and high brightness to overcome screen glare.
• It's superb for HDR content due to its high brightness and wide color gamut.
• A negative to this TV is that it has lower contrast compared to the QN90B.
• Check the latest price of the Samsung QN85B QLED on Amazon

• Great for watching sports or TV shows together with family and friends due to the wide viewing angles while keeping accurate colors.
• It's also quick enough for gaming and great for using as a PC monitor.
• A negative to this TV is that it has lower contrast compared to the QN90B and lower local dimming compared to both TVs mentioned above.
• This TV also has high brightness for HDR along with wide viewing angles.
• Check the latest price of the Samsung Q80B QLED on Amazon

If you want a further breakdown of each type of TV, below I list the price differences, what each type of TV is best for, and a short description of each one.

Want to learn more about OLED TVs? Check out the articles in my OLED TV series:

• Ultimate Guide to OLED TVs.
• Are OLED TVs Good for Gaming?
• Do OLED TVs Have Good Viewing Angles?
• What Is the Response Time of an OLED TV?
• Do OLED TVs Have True Black Levels?
• How Bright Are OLED TVs Compared to Other TVs?
• What Is the Refresh Rate of an OLED TV?

Want to learn more about TVs? Check out the articles in my TV series:

• Best TV Display Types
• TV Resolution Explained - 8K UHD vs. 4K vs. QHD vs. FHD
• Choosing the Best TV for Your Room
• Best TV for Playing PlayStation 5 Games
• What Type of TV Is Best for Gaming?
• Ultimate Guide to Samsung QLED TVs
• Best Type of TV for Bright Rooms
• What Type of TV Has the Best Refresh Rate & Response Time?
• What Type of TV Has the Best Viewing Angle?
• Do LED TVs Have Backlight Bleed?
• How to choose the best soundbar for your TV